🔗 Share this article The former Brazilian president arrested after being deemed a risk of fleeing Jair Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities found he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention. The former head of state was found guilty of orchestrating a government overthrow in last fall and given more than over two decades in jail, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews. High Court Judge the presiding justice said the move to detain the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments were revealed. This involved trying to remove his ankle monitor and a invitation to a public vigil that could facilitate a possible escape. Court Filing Details Escape Concerns In a paperwork permitting the custody, the magistrate said data from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the ex-president's "intention to break the surveillance device to ensure success in his flight. This, it said, would be assisted by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his child. His son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who serves as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his backers near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday evening. Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on online platforms on the previous day: "Are you going to fight for your nation, or see it all from your mobile device there on your sofa? I urge you to battle with us." He said the vigil would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the return of democracy in our nation." Embassy Asylum Concerns Part of the magistrate's ruling was the possibility of Bolsonaro's move to foreign missions near the home, considering that the probes revealed a background of organizing to seek refuge through a diplomatic representation", a announcement said. The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, the capital city, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from Bolsonaro's home. International Reactions His judicial problems have generated frustration from fellow populist conservative American leader Donald Trump, prompting him to implement a 50% tariff on Brazilian product imports. He is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will experience a detention review on the following day. Latest Court Petitions It was only on the previous day that the his legal team asked the Top Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under domestic detention, with tracking devices. They also petitioned that Bolsonaro be authorized to exit his dwelling for medical care, saying he demanded regular treatment for respiratory ailments and other health problems. Background on Conviction The former president was convicted of heading a plot aimed at maintaining his control after he failed to win the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. High Court judges said that he was aware of a plot which involved plans to kill his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been presiding over Bolsonaro's trial. The conspiracy was thwarted because it failed to get the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023. But a seven days after, on the eighth of January, many his backers attacked and damaged public facilities in the national capital, Brasília. The police took action and around fifteen hundred individuals were detained. The magistrates found that the demonstrators had been incited by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to take action, reestablish control and bring him back to power. At the period, his attorneys called the over 27-year sentence "absurdly excessive. He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - eight years later after the end of his sentence. The ex-leader called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was designed to prevent him running in the 2026 national vote.